Cold Weather and Diesel

osd9

osd9

New Member
Oct 3, 2006
4,874
MidAtlantic
Boat Info
2003 410DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126-TA w/ ZF 80-IV
OK...with this %@*^ cold weather we're having......28 degrees F last night and expect the same for the next few nights....highs in the 40's during the day.......do I have to worry about the diesel fuel "gelling"????

I wanted to go for ride tomorrow...... :thumbsup: ......but I don't want to cause any issues.........
 
I'm not 100% sure but I think if its above freezing for at least a few hours you should be fine. I don't know at what temp diesel starts to gel but I would venture a guess that at 40 degrees you are in good shape. I know how anxious you are to put a few hours on OSD :smt038 .....My wife throws a tantrum if I suggest going for a ride and the temperature is below 70! She does come along but its under protest and usually costs me a nice dinner later in the evening. Not sure I am losing anything in that deal!!!!!!! :thumbsup: Hope tomorrow is a great day for you!
 
I think your fine. The tanks are down in the engine room so they get nice and toasty after you are out. They are not exposed to the cold like a truck or car. I've been out fishing with ice forming on the rails and have never had a problem. Of course, I have bilge heaters installed so my engine room and tanks are never below about 50 degrees. :grin:
 
Ur fine ... Enjoy the boat...

I had mine out when it was in the 20's at nite and only in 30 during the day.... Ill tell yea that they dont like the cold... I thoughtthe boat was going to shake itself to pieces... and it warm up at the dock... start the boat ... diconnect the electric stuff and ur lines and slowly take her out dont leave her idling at the dock it wont warm up... and then slowly load her up.....

ENJOY

Rob
 
Thanks for advise.....I just want to be able to get the darn thing off the dock....haven't had her out since delivery last Friday.....I'm hoping for the winds to lay down a bit either tomorrow or Sunday......
 
Dominc, its really snowing right now in SE KY. I cant believe the weather thats been going on. Leaving the 18th for Florida to visit my baby. I hope NO SNOW THERE! :wink: JC
 
Dom,
It got cold here last night and I was sitting on half tanks Port and Starboard. I ran her today to the fuel dock and pulled in behind a spiffy new 55DA and took on 200 gallons of diesel ($2.25 a gallon, with the 25 cent discount for having an account it is $2 bucks a gallon--hope it stays this way!)
She ran like a champ, no fuel issues.

55DA...sweet. My wife and kids got to go aboard while Ipumped fuel. BIG BOAT. Tough to get into some of the marinas we frequent, i suspect. Awful nice though. But not in this life.

Skip
 
WOW.....$2.25 gallon....before your discount....I hope I get that price up here....right now the marinas are at about $2.50 +/-


Oh....I just saw the forcast.....we're getting 1-3" of SNOW.... :smt013 ....I'm never gonna get off the dock.... :smt089
 
Dom,

Boat in the snow ... lol no reason not too ??

Fuel here on LONG ISLAND is 3.10 for diesel and someone told me over four bucks for gas..... thats not a good start,,,


All the best guys and happy holidays !!!!


Rob
 
My concern this time of year is this: Is that last years fuel? I know for a fact that some marinas leave a thousand gal. or so in their tanks all winter so they can pump some for their equipment and for early season sales. I question the quality of that fuel. I fill up in the fall, I will buy more fuel on the "second load" of the season. Wow $2.00 a gal. I may have come down and get me some of that!
 
Pete ,
I stored the boat almost full.... blew threw that in 2 weeks...( March )

Gas docks were still closed.... begining of april one opened and i had the same thought... stuff been sitting all winter....

The guy at the dock told me they run it down atthe end of season... when its near empty they close.... treat it ... and get fuel before they open... and do this for gas and diesel... makes sense,,,, is it true ??? Ill never know but it made me feel better.....


Rob
 
Guy's there is no issue with cold weather and diesel in boats. That is unless your way up(AK) north. The refineries add an anti-gel to the fuel for "winter blend"
Now, If they bought winter blend before closing down you'll get a slightly lower grade fuel in the spring. I don't have a problem burning fuel that is 6mos to a year old. heck, I'm pumping off 90 gal from a boat that is 5 years old. it will go to feed my Dodge for the next 1000 miles.
 
From this web site it looks like zero degress F is the engine stopping point for untreated fuel. I think you would normally not have your fuel get this cold in a boat on the water.

I would not count on the fuel having the necessary cold weather conditioners though. You need to know when you buy, or add it yourself.

I recall several years back when a cold spell hit one winter. I live about 200 miles east of Portland OR off I-84. I saw at least half a dozen truckers along the freeway that had made it well over 100 miles east, then the cold got them and they were stalled along the freeway. Don't know where they had purchased their fuel, but it was not adequate for the weather.

But this was well below zero, wouldn't normally be a problem in your boat. I do know there were boats moored at the local marina though, probably with bubblers running. And some freezing over was occurring.
 
The gel point of diesel fuel varies by region of the country. Distribution sites add enough number 1 fuel oil to the number 2 diesel to keep waxes from coming out of solution for expected weather conditions. There is typically about a 6 degree fudge factor. For example, if zero degrees is the record low, number 1 oil is added to keep the waxes in solution to -6 degrees. In extreme weather some diesels are not shut down because they become too difficult to start.
 
Ran my babies yesterday was around 30.... They were not happy....


This is spring here right... easter...

Id swear it was warmer at christmas.....


Rob
 
I haven't even started them up since I brought the boat home March 30th...... :smt089 ....this morning...according to the remote air temp sensor I have at my dock, it was 27.3 degrees F......I'm worried I'm gonna pop the outside water lines to the dock...... :smt013
 
I bet the diesels you guys have are begging for a trip! I think you should not start them and run them at the dock. A diesel with no load will not warm up properly. Nor will it keep itself warm if you do get it warm then let it idle for half an hour. You need to start them, then put them under part load till they start to warm up, then increase the load to get them warm.

Get them warm enough to boil out any moisture that has been accumulating in the block over the winter. At least now with the low sulfur diesel, we should not have the issue of internal moisture + diesel sulfur blowby on cold start = H2SO4.

You should probably take some sick time off today to take care of a 'family member', and take them out for a spin to make them feel well again. :grin:
 
Dave M. said:
You should probably take some sick time off today to take care of a 'family member', and take them out for a spin to make them feel well again. :grin:
Click to expand...

Well said.......I like you line of thought... :thumbsup: .....cough cough....

If the winds lay down, I might just go for a quick run tonight.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,172
Messages
1,427,835
Members
61,084
Latest member
AntonioJamm
Back
Top